In years past

In 1913, the floor under the big range of the Black Bear kitchen on East Third Street in Jamestown, caught fire the previous forenoon and was regarded as serious enough to summon the city hall firemen. They chopped a hole in the floor and with the use of chemicals extinguished the blaze, which in a few minutes would have developed into something serious. The only loss was the damage to the floor, which would require a few dollars to repair.

Justice Maharon was requested to issue a warrant charging bigamy against one William W. Woods who it was stated was under arrest at Olean on that charge. The warrant was not issued because no proof was presented of the first marriage of the defendant. The records of the registrar of vital statistics in Jamestown showed that on Jan. 16 of the present year, William W. Woods who gave his residence as Hamilton, Ontario, and Florence E. Piper, who said she resided at St. Catherines, were united in marriage by the Rev. Charles Shaw of the Presbyterian Church. It was stated that Woods had a former wife living but no proof of this act was submitted to Justice Maharon. Consequently no warrant was issued.

In 1938, residents of Maple Springs were making friends with a wild buck, believed to be about a year old, that had wandered fearlessly about the neighborhood according to one of the residents, Carlton Winchester. The animal proved to be exceptionally tame, Winchester reported, feasting daintily on morsels of salt and even a few cigarettes fed from his hands. The buck first appeared at the lake side about 6 in the morning. The animal followed many of the children who were on their way to school. A greyhound dog, owned by Hugo Lindholm, a resident of Maple Springs, was also reported as wandering about with the buck and that the animal actually seemed to enjoy the dog’s company.

Friday didn’t have to be Friday the 13th to be an unlucky day for Mrs. Elizabeth Toner of Panama. In the morning, Mrs. toner caught her hand in the wringer of her electric washing machine and received severe injuries. In the evening she was hit by an automobile and knocked to the pavement, again receiving many bruises but no broken bones.

In 1963, Lori Ann Crossley, 3, received a giant chocolate key from Franklin V. Wymer to officially open Wymer’s new store in the Main Street parking ramp at Main and Second in Jamestown this day. Candy was being given away from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the day to introduce Barton’s internationally known chocolates. Wymer’s would sell cards, party supplies, chocolates and pastries.

Twin daughters were born the previous night to Mrs. Margaret Cohen Jarmolowski, at Westfield Memorial Hospital. Mr. Jarmolowski was fatally injured four days previously when the truck in which he was riding was struck by a train at the Pearl Street crossing in Westfield. Funeral services were held March 20 from St. James Roman Catholic Church with burial this day in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. The four other Jarmolowski children ranged in age from 5 to 15.

In 1988, Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore Jr. got compliments, but no endorsement, from Mario Cuomo during a long-awaited meeting with New York’s Democratic governor. “He’s very bright,” Cuomo said of Gore. “He’s very deep in his knowledge of government … He has a particular kind of appeal that’s especially attractive to the Democratic Party at this moment.” But Cuomo said he and Lt. Gov. Stan Lundine were not ready to publicly back one candidate and he again downplayed the importance of their endorsements. The governor said it was “nice” of Gore to “come by,” but he said the Tennessee senator’s positions were already well-known to him before their one-hour, closed-door meeting at the state Capitol.

Reconstruction of the closed Tiffany Avenue bridge between Jamestown and Falconer might be moved ahead a couple of years from its projected 1991 schedule, according to Chautauqua County Public Works Director George W. Riedesel. The structure had been closed since late the previous year after an inspection found it in unsafe condition. Riedesel told members of the Legislature’s Public Works Committee that the state DOT schedule called for reconstruction of the bridge to begin in 1991. He said, however, that the DOT’s Buffalo office appeared to be looking favorably on moving it up – possibly to 1989.